Local authorities have confirmed that Tafari Campbell, the private chef of former United States President Barack Obama drowned over the weekend.
The body of the 45-year-old Campbell, who went missing over the weekend at Martha’s Vineyard was recovered from Edgartown Great Pond by Massachusetts State Police.
According to USA Today, the police said his body was found in the pond some minutes before 10 am Monday, as the recovery occurred about 100 feet from shore.
Massachusetts Environmental police officers initially conducted a side scan-sonar from a boat to figure out where Campbell’s body was located.
The report said emergency responders were sent to a property belonging to Obama for reports of a drowning at around 7:46 p.m. Sunday, police said.
It was said that a fellow paddleboarder reported that he had not resurfaced.
Police said Campbell was paddleboarding near the Obama residence when he fell off the board without a life jacket and drowned.
Campbell was a “beloved part of our family,” the former president and first lady Michelle Obama said in a statement, the Associated Press reported.
“When we first met him, he was a talented sous chef at the White House – creative and passionate about food, and its ability to bring people together. In the years that followed, we got to know him as a warm, fun, extraordinarily kind person who made all of our lives a little brighter.”
Campbell had been staying with the Obama family since they left the White House in 2017.
“We asked Tafari to stay with us, and he generously agreed. He’s been part of our lives ever since, and our hearts are broken that he’s gone.”
He is survived by his wife and their twin boys.
The investigation into Campbell’s death will be conducted by the State Police Detective Unit for the Cape and Islands District and Edgartown Police.
